NFL game summary for 11/21/1971:
Pittsburgh clung to its tie with Cleveland in the AFC Central Division by shading the New York Giants, although clearly out-statisticked. Fran Tarkenton threw for 302 yards and ran for 12, boosting his lifetime figures to 1,025 completions, 5th in NFL history. His one rush boosted him over the 2,000 yard mark. Cornerback John Rowser picked off a Tarkenton pass and returned it 70 yards for a TD.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 113.8 (19) | 174.2 (6) | 288.0 (15) | 25 |
| DEFENSE | 144.4 (19) | 174.7 (23) | 319.1 (22) | 23 | |
 | OFFENSE | 122.1 (15) | 183.1 (4) | 305.2 (7) | 28 |
| DEFENSE | 94.2 (4) | 205.0 (26) | 299.2 (16) | 25 |
Line: Steelers by 4
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Giants (4-6-0) | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers (5-5-0) | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
( 7- 0) NYG Rich Houston 26 yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Pete Gogolak kick)
( 7- 3) PIT Roy Gerela 25 yard field goal
(10- 3) NYG Pete Gogolak 25 yard field goal
(10-10) PIT John Rowser 70 yard interception return (Roy Gerela kick)
(13-10) NYG Pete Gogolak 29 yard field goal
(13-17) PIT Ron Shanklin 4 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick)
NYG PIT
First Downs: 22 11
Rushes-yards: 29-146 24-115
Yards/rush: 5.0 4.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 27-41-302-2 12-20-75-0
Sacked-yards: 3-29 1-15
Net pass yards: 273 60
Net yards/pass: 6.2 2.9
Total net yards: 419 175
Total plays: 73 (39% run) 45 (53% run)
Yards/play: 5.7 3.9
Fumbles-lost: 2-1 0-0
Turnovers: 3 0
Penalties-yards: 4-40 2-10
Attendance: 50,008
Passing:
NYG: Fran Tarkenton, 27 of 41 for 302 yards and 1 TD (2 int) PIT: Terry Bradshaw, 12 of 20 for 75 yards and 1 TD
Rushing:
NYG: Bobby Duhon, 13 for 61 yards; Joe Morrison, 11 for 62 yards; Tucker Frederickson, 2 for 8 yards; Fran Tarkenton, 1 for 12 yards; Pete Athas, 1 for 3 yards; Rich Houston, 1 for 0 yards PIT: Preston Pearson, 10 for 53 yards; Warren Bankston, 8 for 36 yards; Frenchy Fuqua, 5 for 15 yards; Terry Bradshaw, 1 for 11 yards
Receiving:
NYG: Joe Morrison, 9 for 28 yards; Bobby Duhon, 6 for 66 yards; Bob Tucker, 5 for 108 yards; Don Herrmann, 4 for 49 yards; Rich Houston, 2 for 45 yards and 1 TD; Rich Kotite, 1 for 6 yards PIT: Ron Shanklin, 5 for 42 yards and 1 TD; Dave Smith, 2 for 22 yards; Frenchy Fuqua, 2 for 13 yards; Warren Bankston, 2 for 7 yards; Preston Pearson, 1 for -9 yards
Kick returns:
NYG: Rocky Thompson, 2 for 36 yards; Bobby Duhon, 1 for 24 yards PIT: Preston Pearson, 2 for 99 yards
Punt returns:
NYG: Pete Athas, 1 for 10 yards; Bobby Duhon, 1 for 8 yards PIT: Mike Wagner, 2 for 2 yards
Interceptions:
PIT: John Rowser, 1 for 70 yards and 1 TD; Jack Ham, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
NYG: Tom Blanchard, 2 for 63 yards PIT: Bobby Walden, 4 for 166 yards
Field Goals:
NYG: Pete Gogolak, 2/3 PIT: Roy Gerela, 1/3
NYG: Fran Tarkenton, 27 of 41 for 302 yards and 1 TD (2 int) PIT: Terry Bradshaw, 12 of 20 for 75 yards and 1 TD
Rushing:
NYG: Bobby Duhon, 13 for 61 yards; Joe Morrison, 11 for 62 yards; Tucker Frederickson, 2 for 8 yards; Fran Tarkenton, 1 for 12 yards; Pete Athas, 1 for 3 yards; Rich Houston, 1 for 0 yards PIT: Preston Pearson, 10 for 53 yards; Warren Bankston, 8 for 36 yards; Frenchy Fuqua, 5 for 15 yards; Terry Bradshaw, 1 for 11 yards
Receiving:
NYG: Joe Morrison, 9 for 28 yards; Bobby Duhon, 6 for 66 yards; Bob Tucker, 5 for 108 yards; Don Herrmann, 4 for 49 yards; Rich Houston, 2 for 45 yards and 1 TD; Rich Kotite, 1 for 6 yards PIT: Ron Shanklin, 5 for 42 yards and 1 TD; Dave Smith, 2 for 22 yards; Frenchy Fuqua, 2 for 13 yards; Warren Bankston, 2 for 7 yards; Preston Pearson, 1 for -9 yards
Kick returns:
NYG: Rocky Thompson, 2 for 36 yards; Bobby Duhon, 1 for 24 yards PIT: Preston Pearson, 2 for 99 yards
Punt returns:
NYG: Pete Athas, 1 for 10 yards; Bobby Duhon, 1 for 8 yards PIT: Mike Wagner, 2 for 2 yards
Interceptions:
PIT: John Rowser, 1 for 70 yards and 1 TD; Jack Ham, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
NYG: Tom Blanchard, 2 for 63 yards PIT: Bobby Walden, 4 for 166 yards
Field Goals:
NYG: Pete Gogolak, 2/3 PIT: Roy Gerela, 1/3